I AM THAT I AM, IS the same yesterday, today and forever. God IS the protagonist in His dealings with humankind whether it is with jews or gentiles. I didn't state that: God dedicated His Grace exclusively for Christians and/or that: mankind started experiencing His Divine Grace only since the First Century of the Common Era. It rains and then the sun shines for both believers and unbelievers. I just paraphrased David Goldman's quoting of Michael Wyschogrod which makes the gentiles the protagonists in "Christianity expresses the Gentiles' longing to be loved by God as the Jews are loved." This is not so, as I stated, based on John 3:16.

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So, I am not trying to teach you Judaism but please thanks for returning the favor and do not teach me Christianity. In fact Levenson, Wyschogrod and Frederiksen should not quit their day job if they are seriously trying to teach Christianity to jews. I am glad you quoted the prophet Hosea and God's perpetual love for His wife Israel. In the prophet's name ending in the letters: Yod-Shin-Ayin, I see that the Name of my Saviour and Lord is spelled (YaSHuA). You also mentioned Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel. If you look up: Jeremiah 31:31-37 Isaiah 43 and Ezekiel 36:21-24; and I would add Zechariah 10:6-12, it refers to all Israel which includes Ephraim or the house of Joseph. Where is Ephraim today? Can David Goldman or you answer this simple and legitimate question? I will answer for both of you. No human knows but God knows.

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Jesus, Peter, Jacob and Paul were primarily driven to reach out to the Jews first and then to the lost sheep of Israel. They stated this repeatedly throughout the New Testament. There were token gentiles among the followers of The Way like: Luke, Cornelius, Titus, Lidia, etc. but the majority were jewish. This majority of followers of the Way were from the southern kingdom of Judah & Benjamin. I am convinced that the gentiles that readily answered the call to come out of the idolatry and to follow The Way, as announced by Jesus, Peter, Paul, Jacob and others, were and are mainly from the descendants of the northern tribes. They were first scattered among the gentiles and over millennia forgot their covenant and inheritance. Yet, they were not cut off from His covenant and inheritance because God remembers His promise made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the 12 patriarchs. To quote you: "God shows covenantal love, Hesed, unto thousands of generations after a righteous ancestor, which shows metaphorically how boundless God's mercy is."

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​ I AM THAT I AM wants to bless all of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Judah and Ephraim). I am just sharing food for thought for you and others to chew on.

Last but not least, I don't agree with: Levenson & Michael Wyschogrod and certainly not with Paula Frederiksen's portrayal of the followers of The Way, and I quote her statement: “Pagans-in-Christ are also from Abraham’s lineage, since Abraham was the father of many nations (Gen. 17:4; Rom. 4:17); but they descend from Abraham alone, not also from Isaac and Jacob.” Ms.Frederiksen surprisingly pretends to ignore that Ephraim (aka sons of Joseph) descend also from Isaac and Jacob. It is axiomatic that no one, other than God, knows with any degree of certainty where these sons of Jacob went to become established among the gentile nations.

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In conclusion, it is worthy of mention that my belief that mostly the descendants of Joseph answer the call to the faith from: Jesus, Peter, Paul, Jacob and others, does not result in displacement theology.